Joelle Joseph cares very deeply about children who live with type 1 diabetes (T1D). She was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 31 and spent a week in ICU. She explains, “When I was initially diagnosed, they were not sure if it was type 1 or 2. When I was discharged my fingertips were all the size of olives from the testing that was required every half hour for 7 days. Although my situation was bad, I couldn’t imagine a child having to go through this exact situation and yet millions of children were.”
Joelle first started volunteering for Breakthrough T1D in 2002 through her employer at that time, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in upstate New York. They were a corporate sponsor of Breakthrough T1D and she served as a volunteer and logistics co-chair until she moved to California in 2006. Since joining Breakthrough T1D Bay Area in 2007, she has assumed many roles. The most satisfying role for her has been the Kid’s Walk Chair. Joelle says, “The program is now in its fourth year, and whether it be an after school program of 75 kids or a middle school auditorium filled with 800, it has been a rewarding experience. Through the Kid’s Walk, I have also had the opportunity to introduce many of my employees at Bank of America to the rewarding and fulfilling work that can be done by donating a little of their time.”
Joelle pictures a future where T1D does not exist, where children do not have to prick their fingers and take insulin at every meal, and parents do not have to worry. To help make this vision happen, she says she has three very clear goals when it comes to her work for Breakthrough T1D: “Educate, raise awareness and raise money.”
